kiesha09

For me as long as my dogs do what I ask when I ask I couldn't care less if they have equal status to me or not so that means nothing for whether I feel guilty kicking them off the bed or not. After we went on a 5 week holiday a year ago I kicked the dogs off the bed. I got so used to them not being on the bed (they didn't come on holiday) that when I got back I felt so incredibly claustrophobic the first night that I kicked them off. They looked at me with their sad faces and I just felt so horrible. I felt horrible because they were so confused about the change in routine and obviously didn't understand why. But I was consistent and they got the new routine pretty quick. I've now relaxed about the whole thing and they still choose to sleep on their beds until about 5am.

Where do I start :laugh: Chip - Scratches at the back door to be let out rather than going out the doggy door - Scratches at the back door to be let out so I get up and open the door and then he doesn't go out - Growls at me when I'm taking to long to put my sneakers on for a walk (just like a whinging child) and also talks back when told off - Does one woof about a minute apart sometimes throughout the night - its just enough to wake you up and then you just fall back to sleep just in time for him to do the next woof and wake you again Kiesha - Drops the toy off the couch over and over and over and over and over....... - Rolls in puddles on walks and anything that is smelly resulting in at least 2 baths a week (I'm never fast enough) - Barks at the possums and anyone walking past the house - Opens any doors to rooms she is shut out off

I don't think you should discount the SA yet though but you do want to investigate everything. The fact she doesn't eat her food treats while you are away could be a SA sign. I think you should invest in a consult with a veterinary behaviorist to know for sure and they will suggest how to go about fixing this problem. Being only 5.5 months if you get on top of it quick with the right advice it doesnt have to become a lifelong problem.

Thanks guys for the replies - very helpful!

As the title says I'm looking for what the best kong size is for a border collie.

My dogs who are 5 and 7 have had a doggy door (through the laundry door) their entire lives and have used it to go in and out as they please. Over the last year or so I have noticed that my boy will often go to the back door and scratch to be let in and out rather than go through the dog door. At the start I obliged not really thinking to much of it and because he has an auto-immune disease which gives him arthritis like symptoms so thought it might hurt to go in and out through the dog door. Over time he has used it less and less (probably because he knows I open the back door for him) but will still easily use it during the day or overnight while we're asleep or if he's outside and someone comes in the front door or if someone is preparing food in the kitchen - so by no means can he NOT use it (if you saw him fly through it you'd see that he really has no trouble). Then lately my girl has started using it less - probably because she goes in and out with my boy when I open the door for him (insert rolly eye man). But still she would use it 90% of the time when she wants to go in/out. Then the latest trend is that often they go outside to do a wee really early in the morning (about 4.30am) and investigate the yard. Sometimes my girl will seem to get stuck outside and won't come through the dog door (she went out it though). She will stand outside and bat it with her paws to open/close it and if I don't hear that she will start to bark. I get up and let her in so the neighbours don't get annoyed. This morning it happened to BOTH of them. I woke up to hear my boy doing his 'let me in' bark. Yet they never get stuck outside during the day. This whole thing has become quite annoying and quite wierd. I have checked the dog door and all looks fine to me. It opens and closes like it used to ie hasn't become more stiff, it has no sharp pieces on it etc. so I can't really understand it. I don't really like getting woken up at 4.30am either so I think the best solution is probably to just close the laundry and restrict access to outside overnight. But how do I extend how long my girl holds on for? Her routine seems to be to go out and pee at 4.30am every day and she always wakes up and will scratch at the door if the dog door isn't open. Even crated she would bang on the crate at this time to go out. Any suggestions?

Yep I leave a clam shell out filled with water for my two smaller dogs (around 8-10kg). I'm not worried in the slightest about them drowning in it or tipping it over and getting stuck underneath - I can hardly tip it over let alone them. Also even when its filled up and they are lying down their heads are still out of the water. My biggest issue with it is that they get in it during the day while I'm at work and then go through the doggy door and get water all over the floors and on the bed :laugh:

I get mine clipped every 8 weeks and start this schedule from 16 weeks old - so 8 weeks after they come home. Having said that I clip nails from 8 weeks and groom every day and 'practice' clipping from this time as well (getting them used to clipper noise, run clippers over them etc). I highly recommend you start grooming /clipping ASAP.

I don't put presents under mine until Christmas eve but generally they don't touch it and aren't fased by it. However I did discover that my girl likes to decorate the tree herself by hiding her toys in it :laugh:

As I said Aussie3 I REALLY considered leaving her there!!! But I just couldn't do it so put her in the car and took her home to clean her off. After multiple washes she was clean and then I had to go and do the car Nooooo! Yep happens here too. Doesn't even hit the ground Some of these stories bring about a whole new level of gross!!! The condom story springs to mind as does the possum one

My girl loves poo... any poo be it cat, possum, kangaroo, horse but especially HUMAN poo One day at the park she rolled in a human poo until literally she was covered in it from head to toe I very nearly left her at the park that day

I totally understand the theory of ignoring the behaviour until they are calm - and I mean totally ignoring, no eye contact, body contact, verbal contact etc. But I did that for over a year and still got jumped on and bounced on as I walked down the hall. Even if I just walked in, stood still, faced the corner they would still do it for a minute or two before calming down. For me I needed to teach an incompatible behaviour for them to do the second I walked through that door. For me it was to sit on carpet in the lounge (quivering with excitement mind you) until I went to pat them and then release them (about 5 to 10 minutes later when calm). Gradually they have become calm more quickly to get their pat and release but still go to the carpet.

I don't really have much to add except my sympathies as I too have a storm phobic dog and I know how distressing it is. Lately we have had more storms than she's ever been through and is a wreck as soon as the thunder starts. I just put her thundershirt on, give her some rescue remedy and cuddle her on the couch or in bed. She shakes like a leaf an pants away but has stopped doing things like trying to get behind the toilet, trying dig through tiles and walls and pacing. I hope someone else comes in with some good ideas so I'll be following the thread! Goodluck!

I don't really have much to add except my sympathies as I too have a storm phobic dog and I know how distressing it is. Lately we have had more storms than she's ever been through and is a wreck as soon as the thunder starts. I just put her thundershirt on, give her some rescue remedy and cuddle her on the couch or in bed. She shakes like a leaf an pants away but has stopped doing things like trying to get behind the toilet, trying dig through tiles and walls and pacing. I hope someone else comes in with some good ideas so I'll be following the thread! Goodluck!

Amazingly well written and so true. As a dog/animal lover I totally get it and hope her fans will too.

This photo just doesn't get less funny - I come in here to look at it over and over and still laugh out loud

I have small breed dogs who are 6 (7 in Jan) and 5.... they are most certainly not mature :laugh: When people ask how old they are generally they are gobsmacked and think they are still puppies I do wonder if they will ever grow up and suspect that when they finally do age it will happen very quickly - like blink and suddenly they are old.

Hilarious

Espinay that is absolutely perfectly worded. THank you!

This one is AWESOME!!! My fave by far... he (or she) is a cheeky little raindeer :laugh:

Yes I think dog parks are vastly different to parks where dogs are allowed off lead. I often go to a large park where dogs are allowed offlead and it's fine. There is alot of space (think racecourse size) so you can easily move yourself away from other dogs). I walk with the dogs around the park and control all interactions with other dogs. They say hello for a minute or two and then we move on. If there is a dog that I don't like it's body languange I don't allow my dogs to approach. Most owners get the picture when you start walking away from them :laugh:

She should get her "tiny puppy" out and about to socialise with friends and clubs, preferably controlled environments until SHE and her dog have build further experience and then a dog park is just another new experience. The tiny puppy has been out and about alot - more so than nearly all dogs I know - shes goes on walks, the shops, the pub for afternoon drinks (in outside area of course), dinner parties, friends houses etc. But a dog park is alot different to that as it is largely uncontrolled so the potential for things to go wrong is quite high eg injury or bad experience with other dogs.

OMG - can't think of a LESS suitable breed for a dog park. She should steer clear of occupied dog parks FOR LIFE. Small, fragile, fast - likely to inspire prey drive in quite a few dogs and they can snap a leg at home on their own. If she needs further convincing and she bought from a responsible breeder, tell her to ask the breeder what he/she thinks. They'd veto the idea on the spot. Yep exactly, really have to have a convincing argument so she truly understands. I really don't want the puppy to end up dead. The puppy did come from a breeder but I have a bad feeling about how reputable they are Might tell her to ask them anyway.

Thanks everyone your reasons are EXACTLY the same as mine. There is just no control over what other people and their dogs do. However, alpha bet I do agree with you about educating people to make it a positive experience. Having said that there are just so many people that don't pay attention to their dog and when I ask them to call their dog away from mine they say 'nah just let the dogs work it out' or 'your dog needs to play with more dogs so it gains confidence' so until they put in the effort to educate themselves I'm steering clear. The puppy is an Italian Greyhound so you can imagine why I think she should steer clear.

A friend of mine got a new puppy recently and now that she has had all her shots and everything we organising a play date. One location suggested was a dog park. Now I'm really not a fan of dog parks purely because my two dogs are not confident with 'in your face' type dogs and the majority of owners seem to take their dogs to these parks as a big free for all with no structure to interactions. This is probably because most have no recall. My friend was very surprised by this and thinks I am being over protective. I disagree with this and believe it is more to do with the fact that I understand dog body language and behaviour better than she does but obviously I'm not going to say it like that. She has a very 'delicate' breed of small dog and I really think it is unwise to take her dog to the dog park but it is obviously her puppy so her choice. I do want to explain to her further my reasonings, but perhaps I'm not explaining it properly. So often dogs are left to their own devices and dogs get bullied and stressed. Doesn't sound like fun for the dog to me. So what are your reasonings for not taking your dog to dog parks?